Wednesday’s match ended Newcastle 1 Manchester City 0.
Ahead of each match we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives following the game.
A brilliant performance AND result…
On this occasion it is Davey Hat-Trick:
POSITIVES
We beat the best team in the world
By common consensus, Manchester City are the best team on the planet right now.
I wouldn’t disagree with that, yet we beat them.
Some City fans may point out that they weren’t at full strength, but neither were we, and we didn’t field a £100m winger, a World Cup-winning striker, or the player widely acknowledged to be the best defender in the world.
Man City take this competition seriously – they won it in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. So to beat them – deservedly in the end – is an achievement to be proud of
In our defence
Four clean sheets on the bounce is a statistic I didn’t think I’d be writing about, given the personnel we fielded at the back, and the fact it was Manchester City they were facing.
But Messrs Livramento, Lascelles, Dummett and Targett were magnificent throughout. They’d never played together before, Dummett hadn’t played for over a year, yet they looked like they’d been teammates for years.
They showed great levels of discipline, concentration, aggression and skill, and the way they celebrated at the end shows how well they did. Take a bow, lads
Unsung heroes
Joelinton was superb, of course, Tonali showed glimpses of why he is rated so highly, and the introduction of Gordon and Bruno was key to our victory.
But a few of the players who we don’t see much of, put in outstanding displays.
I thought it was Murphy’s best game in a Newcastle shirt, I loved Targett’s crunching tackles, Lascelles played like a captain, and Dummett was a revelation.
To top it all off, of course, was the performance of Livramento. He barely gave Grealish a sniff, and looked dangerous going forward. He strikes me as an intelligent player – he looks as if he has a good understanding of the game, and knows when to stick and when to twist
NEGATIVES:
Hypnotised
The first half was all Man City. Some of that was down to how good they are.
Every single one of their players – goalkeepers included – is comfortable on the ball, has excellent movement, and seldom plays a bad pass. But I felt Newcastle allowed them to dominate the first 45.
I don’t know if it was tactics, fear, respect or the fact that our XI had never played together before, but we were a poor second-best. It was as if we were mesmerised by City’s slick play, and thought we’d sit back and watch. To be fair, the cautious approach limited our opponents to a couple of chances in the first half, and it never felt like they laid siege to our goal
You could hear a pin drop
As much as our team seemed hypnotised in the first half, so did our fans.
We were outsung by the away contingent throughout the first 40 minutes and I’m sure that had an effect on the players.
I take my share of the blame for that. I’ve usually got a sore throat by half time, but I spent the first period engrossed, nervy and quiet along with everyone else.
Obviously, once the team figured out there was nothing to be afraid of, the noise ramped up, and so did the performance. You could hardly hear the away end after that.
Tough draw
Our reward for progression is another tough draw – an away game at Old Trafford.
I think we can win, indeed I think we are a better team than manure right now.
But given that we are playing twice a week for the foreseeable, a home tie against Port Vale or Mansfield would have been a better outcome.
Stats from BBC Sport:
Newcastle 1 Manchester City 0 – Wednesday 27 September 8pm
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Isak 53
Manchester City:
(Half-time stats in brackets)
Possession
Man City had 67% (70%) possession, while Newcastle had 33% (30%).
Newcastle 6 (1), Manchester City 10 (6)
Man City had 2 (1) shots on goal, while Newcastle had 4 (1).
Newcastle 4 (1) Man City 7 (6) Corners
Chris Kavanagh is the official referee.
United of Newcastle:
Pope; Lascelles, Dummett (Schar 90+4), Targett, Tonali (Anderson 90), Miley (Bruno 45), Hall (Gordon 45), Murphy, Isak (Almiron 62), Joelinton.
SUBS NOT USED:
Manquillo, Karius, Trippier, Ritchie
(Eddie Howe out-thought Pep Guardiola – Read HERE)
(Carabao Cup fourth round draw: Newcastle United vs. Manchester United – Click HERE to read more)
(Newcastle 1 Manchester City 0 – Read NUFC fan / writer reaction HERE)
(Newcastle 1 Manchester City 0 – Read HERE for match ratings and comments on all NUFC players)
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